PISCATAWAY – Rutgers (12-3, 3-1) fought back from a 10-point first half deficit, shooting 51.7 percent (15-of-29) after the break, to defeat No. 20 Penn State (12-3, 2-2) 72-61 Tuesday evening at a sold-out RAC. It marked the sixth straight victory for the Scarlet Knights, who have defeated multiple ranked teams by double digits this season.

"I thought we played 'Rutgers Basketball' in the second half," said Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell. "We shared the ball, we rebounded, we were tough defensively. I like that team a lot. Pat Chambers does a great job. They're well-deserving of their ranking. But we settled down and we have good leadership."

Ron Harper Jr. scored a game-high 22 points to pace Rutgers, which is off to its best season start through 15 games since the 1975-76 Final Four team's undefeated regular season. The sophomore was a 12-of-12 at the charity stripe with two blocks, as RU deposited a season-high 22 free throws and issued nine blocks, its most ever in a Big Ten game.

Jacob Young added 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting off the bench and Myles Johnson made 5-of-7 field goals to contribute 10 points. The scoring efforts were aided by Paul Mulcahy and Caleb McConnell, who dished-out five and four assists, respectively.

"All the guys can make plays," said Pikiell. "Having Geo out -- you don't want anyone to miss any games -- but the next guy was ready."

Rutgers struggled from the field at the onset, making just one of its initial 15 field goal attempts, but remained within striking distance due to its tough defense. PSU big man Mike Watkins struck often and often early, posting 12 points to push the Nittany Lions lead to 24-14. The Scarlet Knights responded with a 10-3 run, fueled by eight points from Young, to close the deficit.

Penn State entered the locker room at the midpoint with a 33-28 advantage.

The first seven points after the break belonged to the Scarlet Knights, as the momentum shifted in favor of the home squad. The Nittany Lions would not go quietly, however, using a 10-2 burst to push ahead 51-49 with eight minutes to go.

Twenty-three of the contest's final 33 points belonged to Rutgers, which led by as much as 14 points before finishing off an 11-point victory that was highlighted by as 42-20 advantage in points in the paint.

"If guys believe in each other, keep playing and stay healthy, I think this team can keep growing," said Pikiell. "Our best basketball is ahead of us."

Rutgers resumes its Big Ten schedule on Saturday at Illinois. The contest will tip-off at 12 noon (ET) on BTN with Jeff Levering and Jess Settles calling the action.
 
Follow Rutgers men's basketball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for additional news and updates.
 
POSTGAME NOTES 

• RU's 12-3 record is Rutgers' best through 15 games since the 1975-76 undefeated regular season.
• The Scarlet Knights were last two games over .500 in conference play in February of 2002 (7-5).
• Rutgers last began league play with a 3-1 record as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference in 1994-95 (4-1).
• The 12-3 start signals Steve Pikiell's best record through 15 games in his head coaching career.
• After its 68-46 win over No. 22 Seton Hall on Dec. 14, Rutgers is the nation's only unranked team to have two double-digit victories over teams ranked in the AP Top 25 this season.
• Rutgers has now defeated two ranked teams by double digits in the same season for the first time in program history.
• After defeating No. 16 Ohio State and No. 22 Iowa last season, tonight's victory provides Rutgers multiple ranked victories in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 2001-02 and 2002-03 campaigns.
• Rutgers is undefeated at home (11-0) and when shooting a better percentage than its opponent (10-0).
• Rutgers has outrebounded its opponent in 14 of 15 games this season.
• Rutgers' nine blocks was it most ever in a Big Ten game and its most since issuing 12 rejections against FDU on Nov. 9, 2018.
• RU's 22 made free throws was a season-high and the most since depositing 23 at Indiana on March 10, 2019.
• Myles Johnson, who entered the game leading the Big Ten and fifth nationally in FG% (71.8), was 5-of-7 to score 10 points. It marked his seventh game this season and the 13^th career time scoring in double figures.
• Ron Harper Jr. posted a game-high 22 points, signaling his 10^th game this season and 20^th in his career scoring in double figures. It was the sophomore's second 20-point game this season and the third of his career.
• Harper was 12-of-12 at the free throw line, the best performance for an RU player at the charity stripe since Kadeem Jack was 13-of-13 at USF on Feb. 8, 2014. The 12 made free throws were the most ever for a Rutgers player in a Big Ten game.
• Jacob Young contributed 13 points off the bench, marking his fifth game this season and the 14^th of his career scoring in double digits.
• Rutgers made 22 free throws in the game, the third-most ever in a Big Ten game. 
• Caleb McConnell tied his career-high in assists (5) and set a season-high in rebounds (8). 
• Myles Johnson had three blocks, tying the Rutgers' record for blocks in a Big Ten game. 
• Paul Mulcahy had four assists in a career-high 30 minutes. His assist to turnover ratio on the season of 3.5 would be 2nd in the Big Ten. Over the last four games, Mulcahy is shooting a team-best 81.3 percent from the field (13-of-16) and has a team-high 18 assists and seven steals with just two turnovers.
• Rutgers has now started 11-0 at The RAC, its best on-campus start to a season since 1981-82. 
• The Nittany Lions entered leading the Big Ten in blocks (6.3), steals (9.4), turnover margin (+3.1) and turnovers forced (15.8). Tonight, PSU fell short in all categories with four blocks, four steals, a minus three in turnover margin and 11 forced turnovers.
• PSU still holds the overall advantage in the series 41-34, but Rutgers improves to 22-16 at home and 10-8 at the RAC.

POSTGAME QUOTES 
 
Rutgers Head Coach Steve Pikiell

Opening Statement: "The crowd was tremendous. How about our students? They're not even on campus, they're not even in class, and they're waiting outside to get in. I love it. The community makes this a tough place to play. Obviously we have a ton of respect (for Penn State) -- if you watch Penn State -- they cause many problems. I didn't think we were great today (but) we figured out a way to win. I liked that part of it. We hit some obstacles and we keep plugging."

On adjustments after first half: "(In the) first half we got caught up a little in the environment. (We) just weren't sharp. I thought we played "Rutgers Basketball" in the second half. We shared the ball, we rebounded, we were tough defensively. I like that team a lot. Pat Chambers does a great job. They're well-deserving of their ranking. But we settled down and we have good leadership. Our bench was good again. (Jacob Young) gives us a huge lift, Paul (Mulcahy) gives us a huge lift, Shaq (Carter) too. I'm real proud of the development of our entire team."

On Paul Mulcahy and other players filling in with Geo Baker out : "All the guys can make some plays. Having Geo out -- you don't want anyone to miss any games -- but the next guy was ready. (Jacob) stepped up, made some decisions, some plays down stretch, had a huge steal. Ron (Harper) was 12-12 from the foul line and he made some real good basketball plays at the end of the game."

On the environment at the RAC: "I knew it was like that. I remember (Former UConn) Coach (Jim) Calhoun telling me it was one of the hardest places he had to coach. I'm just thankful. a lot of people do a great job. These guys are fun to watch. I think that's part of it.  We recruit great kids. It's a credit to what they do on and off the court. I'm very appreciative of that. Rutgers Nation is terrific."

On the maturity of his team: "We started four sophomores. I don't know about the maturity of that group. I think we're finding our way. I think we're counting on our defense which has been really, really, good. They scored 61, I think they average 81 and a half (points) per game. We got that to count on. I thought our offense was okay in the first half. If guys believe in each other, keep playing and stay healthy, I think this team can keep growing. Our best basketball is ahead of us."

On defending Lamar Stevens: "Ron wanted the challenge. He's good. He's a tough guy at 15,17 feet (from the basket). (Ron) made it tough for him to get catches. He got into foul trouble. I think that helped. He got Ron into foul trouble too. He's a good player. Just make it tough for him. That was the game plan and he saw a lot of different bodies. A lot of fresh bodies on him."

On postseason expectations from media: "We have 16 games left. We were picked 12th in the league. We gotta go to practice. There's 12 (Big Ten) teams ranked in the top 40 and we got 11 or 12 more of those games. A lot of opportunities. (The postseason is) way too far away. We're just trying to stay healthy, get Geo back, keep improving. There's a lot of season left. I do appreciate the excitement and enthusiasm people have. It doesn't help us win games. We gotta play well, we gotta beat really good teams with great coaches, we gotta go on the road and win. We gotta do a lot of things before we start talking about anything else."

Rutgers Forward Ron Harper Jr.

On his game and why he came to Rutgers: "I just love New Jersey. I believe in Coach Pikiell. I wouldn't rather be anywhere else in the country. Rutgers is where I belong. Rutgers is where I'll stay."

Penn State Head Coach Patrick Chambers
 
Opening statement: "Congrats to Pikes. They did a great job in the second half, they outplayed us. They played tough, they played physical. Great atmosphere, a great atmosphere here. So congrats to Pikes and Pat Hobbs for creating this environment. It was difficult, they couldn't hear us in the second half. And, again, they had three offensive rebounds in the first half, they end up with eight in the second half. I think that was the difference. And we got to sure up our fouls, we fouled too much, obviously. You know take away six, let's say we'll take away six from the free throw line because of fouling at the end, it's just too many free throw attempts for anybody. They only made two threes. And then we shot poorly, obviously. We didn't shoot the ball very well, they did a really good job on Lamar Stevens."
 
On being ready to play: "I thought they were ready. I want to give credit to Rutgers. I thought they played really well. They have a very good basketball team. And they're one of the best defensive teams in the country. So we knew that and we knew they play 10 points better here. I felt like what we what we did after Iowa was get to New Jersey as soon as possible and start the business trip. So I thought we played pretty well in the first 20 minutes, but we did not sustain it in the second. They had another gear, for sure. And, you know, sometimes when shots don't fall, you know that you fall prey on the defensive end."

On playing on the road: "Yeah, you know, we needed to have a road attitude. Rutgers was crushing the glass and we didn't do our job. First half we did our job, second half we didn't. And sometimes that's due to you missing shots. And I always preach that we defend and rebound, that's our identity. That's what we're supposed to do. That can't determine how hard you play on the defensive end if you're missing shots, and we didn't do that. Look, the Big Ten is an absolute beast this year, and we know, going on the road is going to be very difficult. We got to take care of our home court."

On takeaways from the game: "I'm not going to overreact. There's a lot of good teams in this league this year. We'll learn from this. We'll watch film. We'll get up tomorrow and we'll get better. That's all we have to do. We have another incredible opponent on Saturday. Wisconsin just beat Ohio State last week, so we got to be ready to go. We got to put this behind us. It's just like Iowa, put it behind you. Rutgers tonight, we got to put it behind us."

On missing shots: "Just like I would tell you if we were playing pickup, keep shooting. Keep shooting. I thought Myles Dread got fantastic looks. Look, they help. They don't want to let you in the paint. They do such a good job of keeping limited pressure on the paint, and you had to make at least eight three in this game and we make six."

On Rutgers looking like an NCAA Tournament team: "You know what, I hope so for Pikes. I do. I hope so. It'd be great to see him punch his ticket. They have good team. They got some depth and Geo Baker is not even playing, so that bodes well for Rutgers."




 

Ron Harper Jr. scored 22 points to help lead @RutgersMBB to a 72-61 upset win over No. 20 Penn State. pic.twitter.com/rUXaRGJWZI

— Rutgers On BTN (@RutgersOnBTN) January 8, 2020